The Great Adventures of Kazamatsuri Sho
by James Hiwatari
Summary: AU. Once upon a time, for all good stories must start like this, there were two powerfull Lords in war. When one is defeated, Sho and his frieds must fight to recover what was lost and rebuilt their lives. Plot based on a very old anime.
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: **Whistle! is Higuchi-sensei's idea. I only added the twist that is this story.

I am sorry for possible gramar/vocabulary/spelling mistakes that mught occur in this fic. English is not my first language and I'm still learning how to say exatelly what I want the way I want with it. The fic is planned to have several chapters, but I'm not sure if I will continue or not, it will depend on the feedback I receive. Pairings are not decided and I'm open to _any_ suggestions. (_Did someone just say Oyassan & Fujishiro? O.O) (I relly mean any... XDDD) _

Finally, I will try make it readable and intereting as much as I can with my limited skills. The two universes I'm working with might seem to have nothing to do with one another, but that's exactly why I want to write and make it believable. So, please enjoy this work and, if you think it is worth it, give me some feedback so I can improve.

James Hiwatari

* * *

THE GREAT ADVENTURES OF KAZAMATSURI SHO

Once upon a time, when the world was divided by kingdoms and mighty lords and warriors, there was a piece of land that could enjoy peace and general welfare under the protection of Lord Shiomi Kensuke, an exceptional archer, commander of an army of hundreds of men and women and a fair-minded sovereign, loved by all his protégées. Lord Shiomi had a son, Sho, who would do everything to follow his father's steps as the heir of their land. At only five years of age, Sho started learning the art of the bow, which the boy practiced with joy and pleasure endlessly, dreaming to be as skilled as his father. Sho also had many friends who would practise with him and help him improve, friends that chose to stay with him not because of his position, but because of his kindness and warm smile.

Lord Shiomi's life could be called perfect if it wasn't for the existence of an external treat, namely Lord Narumi, his ambitious neighbour whose dream was to conquer as much territory as possible an expand his influence throughout the land. Even though the two Lords were engaged in what seemed to be an endless war, Lord Shiomi refused to change his border policies, allowing all sorts of people to join his community as long as they presented a good reason.

This story starts when, betrayed by his unconditional acceptance of people, Lord Shiomi was finally defeated, his castle burned down and his army, forced to surrender. The man responsible for this was Tenjou Ryoichi, a skilled swordsman hired by Lord Narumi. He infiltrated the castle disguised as a simple peasant looking for food and shelter, invaded Shiomi's private chamber and started a fire, running away right after it, killing everyone on his way. Lord Narumi was waiting for him right outside the castle, overjoyed by the sight of the building engulfed in flames while the few surviving soldiers were surrounded by his army. '_It is the end_', he though, for there could be no survivors from inside de castle, no one to claim the lost land.

He was wrong.

The fight was over, but Tenjou hadn't returned yet. He had not left the castle, it seems, and Lord Narumi was increasingly worried about it. Only when the fire ceased completely for lack of fuel did the soldier return, bearing a dip cut on his face and looking angry and exhausted.

- There were survivors, my Lord. – Claimed the man, bowing on front of his master, when asked about the events in the castle. – Lord Shiomi's son and his friends somehow escaped and confronted my inside the castle. I could have easily killed them all, but the little brat somehow managed to hit me with one of his father's arrows and they escaped.

At this, Lord Narumi was furious. If there were survivors – Shiomi's heir, nonetheless – he would face problems in the future. He would be challenged again, if given time for them to reorganize themselves. He asked who those survivors were, while thinking of ways to complete his ambition:

- Shiomi Sho, the brat with the bow, Kirihara Tatsuya, the son of army's chief, Fuwa Daichi, the son of the chief advisor and one blond guy and a short-haired girl I know nothing about. They were all no older than fifteen, I am sure of that. They went hiding in the forest, and alone cannot be of great treat. – Answered Tenjou, not looking up at Lord Narumi's face on the horseback, but keeping his eyes to the ground, as a good servant would do.

- I'm afraid you might be mistaken, Tenjou. – Replied the Lord, contemplating the forest near the ruins of the castle. – If those kids are left free, they will seek help and plain revenge. You already underestimated them once, I shall not commit the same mistake. My men will hunt them down, and I will finally be able to finish the war my father started so many years ago.

With those words, the sovereign left, shouting orders for his soldier to enter the forest and attack any children in sight. Tenjou was left behind, contemplating the ruins of the reign that accepted him so easily, even with the war going on. Nothing was left of the castle but a bunch of misplaced, burned rocks. The sun was starting to appear in the horizon, as if marking a new beginning for this place and all those who lived there.

* * *

So... what do you think? Should I continue or abandon the idea?

The idea for the plot came from an anime called "Robin Hood no Daibouken" (Meaning _The Great Adventures of Robin Hood u.u)_, aired in the early 90s. In this anime, the huuuuge majority of the main characters were children and Robin was actually called Robert Huntigton, the heir of a castle that was burned down, making him and his three cousins run away to the forest and blah, blah, blah... This was the only chapter that had some obvious copy from the storyline of that anime - at least what I remember from it - and things should get more intersting from now on.

The next chapter should be Sho's point of view on the escape and feature some new characters as well (a.k.a. Whistle! version of Little John and his gang. Guess who is to be on his shoes... ). That, of course, if you people want me to continue.

So, let the voice of the people be heard

(Gosh, where was that from? OO)

James Hiwatari


	2. Of New Friends and Enemies

**Author's note: **Here it is... chapter two featuring new characters and explaining some stuff.

Thank you very much for your reviews, I hope you will enjoy this chapter as well!

And fell free to correct any grammar and spelling mistakes in there. Construtive criticism is also apreciated. Reviews evem more so. XDD

Oh, well, enough with the talking. Enjoy!

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OF NEW FRIENDS AND ENEMIES

Sho run for what seemed to be hours and hours through the dark forest, his friends by his side. Shige lead the group, making his way through large trunks and roots as if he was familiar with them, followed by Tatsuya not far behind. The brown-haired teen would look back once in a while to make sure his friends were still behind them, as Sho, Yuki and even Daichi begun to show signs of tiredness shortly after their arrival in the forest. When he realised the trio had stopped running, he called Shige and they both returned to meet them.

- Sho, are you all right? – Asked Tatsuya, taking a close look at the boy's red face cover in sweat. Yuki and Daichi were helping the boy to lye down in the ground, using a large root to rest his head.

- I will be… - Answered the smaller boy while trying to recover some air. Sho was the smallest in the group, though not the youngest. Back in their castle, all servants – specially the female ones – grew a soft spot for him because of his diminutive size, treating him like a small child even after his 14th birthday. – … Once I recover… the air…

The group remained silent for a while, listening to Sho's irregular breath. Daichi and Yuki also set down, feeling the muscles in their legs complain for the long run, while Shige and Tatsuya remained standing, not tired at all. Then, Sho's pacing begun to quieter, soon changing into another type of sound that they all knew too well.

- Sho… - Yuki, the only girl in the group, with her long dark hair hidden inside her (male) clothes, approached her friend, worry clearly expressed in her voice as the tears slipping down the boy's cheeks came to view glowing in the dark.

- It… It's ok, Yuki, I will be all right. – Sho stood up, facing the girl with his bright brown eyes sparkling determination in a way only he was capable of. – I… I promise. Just give some time and…

- What exactly happened back there? – Four pair of eyes focused on the only blond in the group. Shige had a peculiar smirk on his face, arms crossed in front of his chest. There was an air of mystery around him, nobody knew exactly were he was from or anything of his past at all. It would be three years since he arrived at Shiomi's castle asking for a place to stay for no more than a week. As he grew found of Sho and his friends, though, the blond started making up reasons to stay longer and longer, until the day Tatsuya cornered him and forced him to admit he was not planning on leave anymore. He appeared to be a little older than the others, but no one knew his exact age. It was always Shige who found the perfect moment for jokes in times of grief, lightening the mood around him as if it was a natural gift. He made sure everyone was paying attention on him before continuing. – I recon I was having a very good dream when Yuki came running in my room and took me out by my poor wonderfully-cared hair! I couldn't even get dressed! What a shame, everybody is seen me on my pyjamas, and I was carried out by a _girl_ out of all people!

This was one of those jokes. He was, indeed, dressed on his night clothes, nothing more than a very dirty and old underwear and a lousy t-shirt with various colourful stains. The answer he got to his funny comment was a sound punch delivered by Yuki on the blonde's big head. Shige shouted his whole vocabulary on indecent words – which was not small – made a scandal and begun pouting like a small spoiled child, complaining that Yuki should act more like a lady once in a while. His interruption had a good effect, however, as even Sho started laughing. Still impersonating the spoiled, cute brat, Shige smiled. _Mission accomplished. _

- Ok, ok, everybody on good mood now, can I please hear the answer to my question? – As soon as the laughs stopped, Shige spoke again, directing everyone's attention to Sho, waiting for him to speak. As the boy did not look very comfortable on having to speak, it was Tatsuya who answered, directing a venomous glare at his friend:

- We were attacked, Shige, if you did not notice. There was a guy with a sword, Sho and I run into him when we were trying to escape. He went for us, probably knowing who we are…

- It is not difficult, is it? To recognise you guys… You two _are_ the most popular in the entire palace! And I'm not talking about little girls only…

Shigeki was once again beaten, this time by his brown-haired friend. Tatsuya ignored his pouting and complains and continued to talk, as Yuki and Daichi seemed curious on the subject as well. They were also ignoring Shige's performance this time. Sho, on the other hand, chose to focus his attention on the blond instead. Inside his stomach something was moving really fast, and he had the feeling that keep listening to Tatsuya's retail of the night events would have very bad consequences for him.

- As I was saying before _someone_ interrupted me – more of the venomous glare to Shige – that guy tried to attack us. I think I saw him before, he appeared in the castle a couple days ago, according to Father… - Tatsuya stopped talking when mentioning his father, Kirihara Souichirou, the chief of the army. His eyes fixed the ground as he tried to avoid what had already happened with Sho. He had sworn to his father he would not cry again after his mother's death, and he would not break that promise no matter what. The others also turned their gazes, remembering the people left in the castle: parents, siblings, friends left behind in the hurry. Busy running away, none of them had time to check on other survivors, or even if it was possible for anyone else to have escaped. After regaining control of his feeling and making sure his voice would not crack, Tatsuya resume his speech. – Well… the important thing is that Sho was able to get an arrow on him, and we run into you and away from the castle…

Tatsuya stopped talking. There was no need to continue, everyone knew what had happened next. The castle in flames appeared to be Hell on Earth at that time, with them feeling the heat and inhalating the smoke while trying to escape. Right after reaching the forest, a small earthquake and a gruesome noisy told them the castle was no more. The group remained silent until Daichi suggested for them to take turns to sleep, so they could recover their energy and find somewhere to stay during daylight.

- You guys go sleep, I'll watch. – Offered Tatsuya, standing up while directing the others to lye down.

- No, I will do it! – Exclaimed Sho, standing as well. – I don't think I can sleep anyway…

- Same here. Let's both watch them, shall we?

No one contradicted Tatsuya. Shige, Daichi and Yuki soon found themselves relaxing in the soft grass, using roots and trunks as pillows. The other two watched over them in silence, listening carefully to anything that might sound dangerous while keeping their minds busy with thoughts.

_

* * *

He was sleeping in his bed, in his private chamber at his father's quarters. It was a quite night with a beautiful moon outside. He recalled dreaming something about a tall and kind King from a far away land and a soldier in a bright suit of armour with an even brighter smile on his face congratulating him for something when a loud scream suddenly woke him up. His father was by his side, hurrying him to get dressed and run away._

_- What is happening, father? – Asked the boy, feeling the fear emanating from the man beside him. _

_- Sho, you need to go now. I'll explain later, just take this and go! – Shiomi's answer was harsher than he intended, but there was no time to waste talking. He tossed his best bow and arrows to his son, signing for him to stand aside. – Go find Kirihara-kun and drag him out as well, let the adults take care of the intruder…_

_- Do we have an intruder? Who is it? _

_His question was never answered. At that moment, the door of the room burst open, revealing a tall man with short white hair and the scariest eyes the boy had ever seen. The mysterious man held a sword in his right hand, ready to attack and slash anyone on his way. Shiomi shoved his son into one of the secret passages in the room and charged at the man. Sho never saw the end of the fight, though deep down he knew what had probably happened. The secret passage leaded him to Tatsuya's room. The brown-haired boy was already dressed and ready to leave, as if only waiting for his friend to do so. _

_- Let's go, Sho, we don't have much time. – He said, taking the smaller boy by his hand and leading to one dark corridor. _

_- What is going on, Tatsuya? Who was that man? – Even while running, Sho kept asking questions, he could not understand why they were in such a hurry._

_- Father told me someone in this castle was a traitor. He somehow knew that this person, whoever it was, was going to strike tonight. I don't know why nobody else knew, but he asked me to be prepared to leave as soon as the night falls…_

_- And my father did not know?_

_- I don't know, Sho, I don't know! I'm just as confused as you are, so…_

_The two stopped. They were facing two corridors leading to oppose directions. One of them held the distinct smell of smoke and it was possible to feel the heat emanating from it as well. The castle was on fire. They hurried to the other corridor, only to be stopped by the same man that invaded the Landlord's bedroom not long ago. Sho gripped Tatsuya's arm in fear, while the taller boy stared at his new enemy with equivalent hate. _

_- So, we finally met… Shiomi, Kirihara, it is an honour to me to be the one to exterminate you. My sword is eager for more blood, you know… That scum we defeated earlier was not even worth the trouble… so weak, so scared… And to think such a person was the boss in here… Such kingdom is doomed to fall with a King like that! _

_The man started laughing. Tatsuya clenched his fists, trying to find a way to escape. He would not surrender easily, he would fight if necessary, but since he was disarmed and his enemy had a very sharp sword, he was in clear disadvantage and charge head on against him was not a very smart plain. To his surprise, Sho had his father's bow ready, aiming one single arrow at the soldier. _

_- Please, stop. Don't say anything else, or I will fire. – Said the small boy, calm and cool, as if he had never feared the enemy in front of him. His eyes once again showed the determination and spirit that held everyone close to him, the same eyes Lord Shiomi had, capable of attracting people and make them believe the impossible to be possible somehow, to have hope and believe their own abilities. The swordsman, however, ignored that look, seeing only one small kid with a weapon far too big for him. He once again laughed. – I warned you. _

_Sho fired. The arrow flew past the soldier's cheek, making a deep cut before carving itself on the stone wall on the other side of the corridor. The man's eyes grew in surprise as he lost the ability to react. Taking that as their perfect chance, Tatsuya once more took his friend's hand to make him move, and they crossed the corridor. Daichi, Yuki and Shige, all still dressed in their night clothes, met up to them in that very same corridor. They did not know, but Tenjou was able to see them crossing the wooden doors to the outside world, running into the dark forest non-stop. They never looked back to the castle, never stopped until reaching a place that could be more or less safe. _

* * *

The sun rose behind the trees, painting the sky yellow, orange and pink as its rays made their way past the leaves and into the children's faces, waking them up. Tatsuya and Sho looked at each other, both wondering if they would still be safe in the forest. As if just to answer that question, an arrow flew past the group as the sound of approaching running feet announced they were not alone anymore. 

- Who are you who invade our forest without being called? – Five kids stared in a mixture of shock and curiosity as the small figure – around Sho's height – of a girl dressed in a boy's outfit appeared in front of them, jumping from a tree that stood at least five meters from the ground. She was accompanied by a dozen children – all bigger than herself – and the way she acted told the "intruders" she was the leader of the group, someone they should not mess with. – I guess me and my friends will have to teach you something about the rules on our forest…

As the girl and her friends approached, Tatsuya positioned himself protectively in front of Yuki, ignoring her protests, while Shige and Daichi prepared themselves to fight. It was then that Sho stepped in between the two groups, speaking directly to the girl with the best of his innocent smile and cute face:

- Hi, I'm Shiomi Sho and these are my friends, Kirihara Tatsuya, Fuwa Daichi, Kojima Yuki and Shige. We had just run from a castle in fire and a psycho with a sword and we would like to know if there is somewhere around here where we could hide until the bad guys that are after us go away.

The girl stared back, blinking several times at a loss of words.

* * *

**Author's note 2: **So, how was it? Too bad? Too short? Too long? Too dramatic? 

Next chapter will bring us some fun as Sho's gang finds out the true identity of their new "enemy" and "her" friends.

See you next chapter,

James Hiwatari

* * *

PS: God save the Hollydays! They should really be prolonged to last... let's say... the whole year? O.o 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, people!


End file.
